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New Mexico vs. Iona: Game Preview, TV & Radio Schedule, Livestream, Odds, More
The Lobos host the Gaels in their first regular season home game of the season
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New Mexico looks to start 2-0
WEEK 2: New Mexico Lobos (1-0, 0-0 Mountain West) vs. Iona Gaels (1-0)
WHEN: Tuesday, November 13 — 7:00 PM MT/6:00 PM PT
WHERE: Dreamstyle Arena – The Pit; Albuquerque, New Mexico (15,411)
TV: The Mountain West Network/Stadium
STREAM: Mountain West Network
RADIO: New Mexico | Iona
SERIES RECORD: Iona leads 1-0 with the only meeting occurring in 1949
WEBSITES: GoLobos.com, the official New Mexico athletics website | ICGaels.com, the official Iona athletics website
ODDS: New Mexico -6
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New Mexico plays its first regular season game in Dreamstyle Arena – The Pit after securing an early road win at Cal State Northridge one week ago. The win came on a banked three-pointer from senior guard Anthony Mathis.
While the game against the Iona Gaels will be the first regular season home game for New Mexico, it won’t be the first time the Lobos have played in front of a home crowd this season. Since the win over Cal State Northridge, the Lobos played an exhibition game against NAIA school Northern New Mexico (NNM) in the second annual New Mexico Classic, a tournament celebrating basketball in New Mexico.
Paul Weir saw the game against NNM as an opportunity to work out some of the kinks that he saw in the first regular season game – especially defensively. The second-year head coach said about the team’s poor defensive executions thus far:
“This is the way our defense has looked for five straight halves – two in the scrimmage (against NAU), two at Northridge and one here (against NNM). Enough is enough.”
Trying to correct the defensive ails early, Weir will hope that a strong second-half defensive performance against the NAIA school will carry over to Tuesday night’s game.
The Gaels, like the Lobos, have suffered injuries to key players and have also dismissed preseason all MAAC second team player Roland Griffin after a brawl with assistant coach Garfield Johns. While they were able to pull off a 72-68 home win against Albany, a game in which they found themselves down 15 at one point, they’ll face a tougher squad in the Lobos, who hope to see point guard Drue Drinnon return to action from a high ankle sprain.
The shorthanded MAAC opponents brings some size to challenge New Mexico’s frontcourt with six players listed over 6-7 on their roster, but if New Mexico can assert their pace at elevation and execute a fair defensive performance, the home team will be breathing easy by the game’s end.
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